In a 'me first' world, some still know meaning of service

My wife wanted to send me on an errand. I tried every excuse I knew to deflect the inevitable.

“Honey, I am in the middle of writing a column.”

“No, you aren’t. Or you would be sitting in front of your computer.”

“Well, I am thinking about one.”

“Think while you are at the grocery store.”

“Ugh.”

“If you love me you will just go.”

That’s the one that gets me. “OK. I’ll go. What do you need?”

“There are only a few items,” as she gives me a long list.

There are other things I’d rather be doing on a Sunday evening at 9 pm. Like hitting my thumb with a hammer.

Oh well. I went to the grocery store. The Giant one on Norland Avenue here in Chambersburg.

Once I got moving it didn’t seem so bad. And, things are new looking since the store was revitalized.

I went aisle by aisle choosing each item carefully. That drives my wife nuts when I happen to tag along with her.

I like to look at each label. I check for ingredients. Sugar is a no-no for me. So is caffeine. And I compare prices. Sometimes the only differences between two items are labels and price. I’m not much for pretty labels, but price does make a difference.

After an hour or so, I headed for the cash registers. Only one was open. There was a line. I waited.

When it was my turn, I began emptying my cart onto the conveyor belt. Rather than paying attention to the business at hand, the young cash register attendant was carrying on a conversation with the young man who I assumed was to be helping with the bagging.

No such thing.

Once the conveyor belt was jammed full, the gal started ringing up my groceries. That’s when the bagger decided to join several other employees who were hovering in front of the customer service desk. They were having a great time. Laughing and poking each other.

Meanwhile the attendant was piling my groceries at the other end of the conveyor. And I mean piling all the groceries, eggs, bread, marshmallows for the grandkids, other squishable items, the heavy box of dish washing detergent now lying on top, ice cream, everything.

The cashier was oblivious to me and what she was doing. She and the supposed bagger were having fun, laughing and calling to each other.

When I finished emptying the cart, I hurried to the end of the conveyor and started bagging. The young gal then tells me the amount due. I am still bagging. She picks up the detergent and puts it in a bag, turns toward the other employees and talks about when they are getting off work. I finished bagging.

There was a time when I would have said something. Or complained. Or at least made my disgruntlement known. But I have learned that often a complainer is seen as the bad guy, so I said nothing.

Making a store pretty is not the same as offering quality service and actually caring about customers. That takes training, discipline and supervision.

A few days later my wife and I were shopping at Target, near that same Giant. We completed her short list of lots of items, filled our cart and headed to the cash registers.

Here the attendant handled us efficiently enough. She offered a thank you as we paid our bill. Sort of what we would expect.

We walked to our car. As we unlocked our car doors, it happened.

The young man whose job it is to gather carts from the parking lot approached us.

“Excuse me, sir.”

“Yes.”

“May I assist you with loading your car?”

“What?”

“I see you have some large boxes, and I’d be happy to assist you with them.”

“Well… OK.”

The fellow helped lift the boxes and bags out of the cart and handed them to me so I could put them in the trunk.

He then took the cart with him. As he walked away, he turned and wished us a nice evening.

My wife and I just looked at each other.

With the lack of concern I had experienced at the food store compared with this one fellow’s caring for us, the difference was stark and clear.

Lack of concern for others may be more of a norm today than any of us would like to believe. We rush through life. We ignore the irritants that present themselves at every turn. Service is how fast UPS or FedEx can get the Amazon package to us. Thank you is what is printed on the bottom of a packing slip. The young gal working the cash register at Giant is there to get a paycheck. She doesn’t see that as having anything to do with servicing a customer.

All of this reminds me of Lyons Men’s Store in Chambersburg. Or Ludwig, Gartenberg or Belle Jewelers. These merchants seem to really care about their customers.

When you go into Lyons you are greeted. Offered assistance. Treated like you mean something.

Maybe that is a throwback to a different time. Maybe that is just an aberration in a modern world dominated by "me first."

What I do know is that I am grateful to that young man who gathers carts at Target for his caring. You made more than my day.

Bill Gindlesperger is a central Pennsylvanian, Shippensburg University trustee and founder of eLynxx Solutions that provides software for managing direct mail, marketing and print. He is a board member, campaign adviser, published author, and News Talk 103.7 commentator. He can be reached at Bill.Gindlesperger@eLynxx.com